Here’s to merry feel of sake

Some travelers heading to Beijing this summer to attend the Olympics also will make a side trip to Japan.

If you do, be sure to find time to sample the cuisine. Allan and I have spent some time in Japan and find the dining experience one of the most enjoyable we have encountered. We have particularly enjoyed sukiyaki accompanied by warm sake. I mentioned sake briefly in last week’s column on rice.

The word sake is an abbreviation of “sakae” meaning prosperity in Japanese, which is associated with the “merry feeling” induced by the brew. Sake has been called the wine of the Shinto religion as opposed to tea, which is favored by Zen Buddhists. Many Japanese occasions, ranging from religious festivals to weddings, and entertaining guests call for drinking sake.

Rice wine

Sake, or rice wine, is really a still beer. The first step in making it is the creation of a starter. A carefully mixed culture of yellow-green Aspergillus oryzae spores is scattered over steamed rice to create koji, the equivalent of malt for making beer. This is then fermented for about 20 days. What types and blends of rice used and when to add the koji are all critical in producing sake.

After fermentation, a pale yellow or white liquid is filtered out of the dense mash and stored away from sunlight for about a year. Longer aging does not improve the sake. Light can darken the liquid and ruin the taste, thus it is usually kept and served in opaque porcelain or dark bottles. Sake is best enjoyed warm — a circumstance that reduces the drink’s original alcohol level up to 18 percent.

Sake is almost always present at Japanese business dinners. At such a dinner one never pours sake for oneself. Pouring is done by a fellow guest — a sign of social awareness and good will. Sake cups for dinner parties are tiny, so that the service must be constantly repeated — a way of being neighborly.

Cups up

When being served sake, one must not leave the cup on the table, but must lift it toward the bottle in the hands of the pourer. The opaque sake bottle is rather difficult to manage, because it is impossible to know how much sake is inside and how far it needs to be tipped. Also, the cup is tiny and needs to be held steady. Intense concentration and co-operation is required by both parties — not easy during an evening of enjoyment.

There is a lot of protocol connected with serving sake at a Japanese businessman’s dinner and I emphasize the word “man” because there were typically no women guests present, although, that may have changed in recent years. I was fortunate to attend two dinners with Allan’s Japanese clients, where I

was the only woman present. Being treated almost like a queen is my idea of an evening out.

Sukiyaki is frequently the main course served at Japanese dinners. It is a fun dish to enjoy, whether at a restaurant or prepared at home. It uses the Oriental stir-fry technique of cooking in a wok.

Originally, Sukiyaki was prepared in Japan by the farmers in the fields who used the metal part of their plow as a cooking utensil. Suki means “plow” and yaki means “broiled.” Since sukiyaki originated as an impromptu dish, it consisted of whatever ingredients were available. Today, either beef or chicken can be the basis of this Japanese stew, to which is added a variety of traditional Japanese vegetables.

Sukiyaki cooks quickly, so all of the ingredients should be sliced, arranged on a platter and ready for use. Cut or break the cellophane noodles into several pieces, since they are long and folded into a short package. The sauce ingredients should also be combined before cooking commences. The meat, particularly beef, should be sliced paper-thin. (Having a friendly butcher helps. We typically cook the sukiyaki in two batches to keep it warm.

Sukiyaki

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 to 1¼ pounds beef tenderloin or sirloin, cut into paper-thin 1 x 2-inch slices

1 medium sweet onion, cut in half diagonally and then sliced ¼-inch thick

3 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 stalks celery, cut into ½-inch pieces

8 ounces white or brown mushrooms, sliced

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1 can (8 ounce) sliced bamboo shoots, drained

1 can (8 ounce) sliced water chestnuts, drained

Broth (recipe follows)

1 bunch spinach, well-washed, drained, tough stems removed, and torn into large pieces

3 ounces bean thread noodles (shirataki), broken or cut into several pieces and soaked in hot water for 30 minutes to soften

Pour the oil into a wok and preheat to 375 F if using an electric wok, or to moderate-high heat. Add the meat and stir-fry for 1 or 2 minutes until the meat starts to lose its red color. Do not overcook. Remove the meat and add the onions, celery, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add half of the broth and cook until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add more broth if necessary to give a soup-like consistency. Then add the spinach and the noodles. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the noodles are translucent. If necessary add more broth. Return the meat to the wok and heat through. Serve the meat and vegetables in bowls with some of the broth. Serves 4.

Broth

1 can (14 ounce) beef broth

2 tablespoons sugar

1/3 cup dry sherry

¼ cup soy sauce

½ cup water

Combine all of the broth ingredients in a pitcher.